Conservation Colorado

The organization is a supporter of the “Global Deal for Nature,” which calls for the conservation of half of the lands and oceans on the planet by 2050. As a part of implementing that program, the organization has called upon Colorado to block development on 30% of Colorado’s lands by 2030. ³

In January 2021, the organization supported then-President Joe Biden’s executive order placing a moratorium on all new oil and gas leasing on federal lands. ⁴

Background

Conservation Colorado is an environmentalist organization based in Denver, Colorado. The organization supports left-of-center environmentalist regulations and supports politicians who seek to implement such regulations and is an outspoken critic of the state’s oil and gas industry. In 2019, it supported legislation which gave the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission more power to regulate the industry. It has also accused the conventional energy industry of “overstepping a social boundary” by expanding into heavily populated areas. ⁵

Conservation Colorado has supporting closing off large amount of land to human development. The organization has supported the “Global Deal for Nature,” which calls for the conservation of 50% of all lands and waters on the Earth by 2050 in order to combat climate change. In Colorado, the organization supports the conservation of at least 30% of the state’s land. ⁶

Conservation Colorado lauded President Biden’s 2021 moratorium on all new oil and gas leasing on federal lands, claiming that the licensing of federal lands for conventional energy development damages surrounding communities. ⁷

In 2021, the organization called for an accelerated reduction in Colorado’s emissions. Conservation Colorado supported legislation to codify proposed emission caps into law and charge fees for emitters of carbon dioxide, including power companies. ⁸

In June 2025, Conservation Colorado participated in organizing or supporting protests branded under the “#NoKings” banner, a national day of demonstrations positioned as a defense of democratic norms against Donald Trump. These events were part of a larger mobilization involving over 70 Democratic Party affiliates and allied organizations across at least 19 U.S. states and multiple international locations, according to publicly available event listings on Mobilize.us, a Democratic Party-aligned organizing platform. ^{9 10}

Leadership

Kelly Nordini is the CEO of Conservation Colorado. She is a former campaign strategist and chief of staff to Colorado House of Representatives Speaker Alec Garnett (D). ¹¹

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

In January 2024, Conservation Colorado opposed a proposal that would have made nuclear powerplants eligible for financial incentives paid by the state of Colorado to subsidize “clean energy” (i.e.: carbon free) projects. According to a report from Colorado Politics: “Paul Sherman of Conservation Colorado spoke of the harmful nature of nuclear waste, saying it is highly radioactive and can cause harm to both humans and the environment centuries after its disposal.” ²

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 20 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ¹²  A 2021 U.S. Department of Energy tutorial on nuclear power production reported that nuclear energy “produces minimal waste” and that all of the spent nuclear fuel “produced by the U.S. nuclear energy industry over the last 60 years could fit on a football field at a depth of less than 10 yards!” The tutorial also noted that nuclear waste “can also be reprocessed and recycled, although the United States does not currently do this” and that “some advanced reactors designs being developed could operate on used fuel.” ¹³

Finances

According to its 2023 990 form, Conservation Colorado reported a revenue of $1,644,617, expenses of $1,331,951, and total assets of $1,838,768. ¹⁴

Funding

The organization has made donations to several political causes through its grantmaking initiatives. It awarded $47,000 grant to a campaign opposing the recall of a Democratic politician. Conservation Colorado also gave a little over $1 million to oppose Colorado Amendment 74 in 2018, which would have required the government to compensate property owners if it caused a loss of market value due to a new regulation. ¹⁵ The organization also gave $12,000 to the Colorado branch of the left-of-center Sierra Club and $262,000 to the Conservation Colorado Victory Fund, a related PAC. ¹⁶